(22 December 2017) The role played by cities in countering violent extremism will be examined at the initial First Monday Forum of 2018, on Monday, 8 January at American Foreign Service Association in Washington, D.C. Because cities often combine high population concentrations, recognizable landmarks, sites for large gatherings, and many soft targets, they often become the venue for today’s strikes by terrorists. Yet cities also contain many assets for building strength and […]

(24 November 2017) The number of international students at U.S. colleges and universities increased in the 2016-17 academic year, totaling more than 1 million students from overseas for the second year in a row. But the number of new students enrolling at U.S. institutions declined in the fall of 2016, the first such decline in 12 years.

International Institute of Education compiles annual statistics on international exchanges of […]

Editor’s note: This essay, reprinted with permission, first appeared in the CPD Blog, published by the USC Center on Public Diplomacy.

Shawn Powers

(22 November 2017). Recent headlines about the State Department have been filled with drama and intrigue. While important, these accounts overshadow the important, day-to-day efforts responsible for building direct and productive relationships with foreign populations. These relationships, and the information that is exchanged as a result of direct […]

(16 September 2017) A Washington, DC think tank recommends forming a stand-alone agency devoted to public diplomacy under the rubric of State Department. The Atlantic Council issued its assessment of State Department’s mission and organization on 6 September 2017, prepared at the request of Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The panel preparing the report consisted of former high-level officials at State Department and National Security Council, as well […]

Fake News and Disinformation: we cannot watch the news, surf the Internet, or even carry on a social conversation without hearing the words. Whether from U.S. political leaders and spokespersons, foreign governments, media figures, violent extremists, “tweeters” “bloggers,” or bots, we face an almost-constant onslaught of fake news, “alternative facts,” or disinformation. Sifting fact from fiction has become increasingly challenging for citizens needing […]

(15 August 2016). The state and art of digital diplomacy is the focus of the next First Monday Forum, set for Monday, 11 September 2017 beginning at 12:00 noon, at American Foreign Service Association in Washington, D.C. (The actual first Monday in September is the Labor Day holiday.)

On the date exactly 16 years after 9-11, the discussion will examine new methods needed to communicate effectively in a digital environment. An expert […]